Google's Behavioral Targeting the new Dinnertime Telemarketer?

I dunno. Lately I'm finding that if I notice that I'm still logged into Google that I rush to sign out. It just creeps me out to know that everywhere I go on the web if I'm signed in, Google is following me.

It reminds me of when Caller ID first came to California in the mid-90s. Paranoia was rampant. I had moved to Palm Springs from Texas where I had Caller ID and and used it to screen telemarketing calls. If it wasn't a name or number I knew or, if they had their Caller ID blocked, I let it go to voice mail. In fact, it became so obvious that 95% of those blocking Caller ID were trying to sell me something at dinner time, that I set it up so that those who blocked got a message telling them that I didn't accept calls from blocked numbers. Worked like a charm...

...until I got to California. I was rudely awakened to the fact that 95 per cent of Californians were paranoid about ANYONE seeing their name and number come up on that little screen and they blocked their Caller ID. That meant NONE of them could call me. I had to disable that feature so that I could get any phone calls. Of course, that meant those dinnertime telemarketing calls came pouring back in, too.

That was then. Now, Google's ability to track what you do and where you go on the web makes Caller ID seem so . . . primitive. Google doesn't use phone numbers and a screen. It tracks by IP addresses. That's what their roll out of

Don't get me wrong. Google doesn't need Doubleclick to do behavioral tracking. It can do a really thorough job by itself. Owning Doubleclick is just icing on the cake and keeps Google from coming up with that particular technology on its own.

So, if you are using Gmail, Google Reader, Google Docs or any of the free services offered by Google, you are being tracked. Love all those stats that you get with Google Analytics? Guess what? Google knows more about your site traffic than you do.

Even creepier is the fact that most web surfers are completely unaware that their movements are being harvested for marketing purposes. As search marketers, this is old news to us, but average Joe or Jane Surfer hasn't got a clue. And, since they don't know, they don't care, at least for now.

At what point will the citizens of this planet decide that privacy is more important than free e-mail? It's bound to happen. It's just a matter of time.

And then there are those Google Street View trucks going around major cities taking pictures of anyone and everyone without permission. But, that's another story.